


We'll Be Home For Christmas

by Just__Sparks



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Christmas Fluff, First Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 18:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17064656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just__Sparks/pseuds/Just__Sparks
Summary: In which Andrew and Neil spend their first Christmas in their new apartment together. Surprises and fluff ensue.





	We'll Be Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lolainslackss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolainslackss/gifts).



> This work was written for the AFTG Winter Exchange 2018!
> 
> To my giftee!  
> I hope you enjoy this short fic I wrote for you! Thank you for the prompts!  
> Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!  
> <3
> 
> To anyone else who may read it, Happy Holidays! I hope each one of you are blessed with love and light! <3

The air was frigid, as it had remained well below freezing for days at that point. The precipitation that had begun to fall hours before was proof of that. Though it was enough to elicit violent wracking shivers, and possibly even frostbite or worse if one remained out in it too long, Andrew Minyard had still slipped out of the confines of his shared apartment with Neil for a brief smoke break.

Lighting up a cigarette, he huffed and puffed on it as the snow continued. The silence, save for the odd passing car, was welcome. Andrew preferred it to the chaos that had become his days whilst surrounded by idiots who must have barely passed their basic college courses, because their inability to function without guidance outside of the walls of their Exy team was a constant thorn in his side. Neil may have been a bit unobservant, but he was not unintelligent. The people Andrew had been forced to endure as of late, however, well, the same could not be said for them. Up there, thoughts of those numb skulls slipped away, and he felt almost at peace. Or, at least as much as someone like him could be. The snow fluttering to the ground, dusting every surface around him in white, was a welcome distraction to the annoyance he felt at remembering that soon he would be forced to return practice with those sub-par jocks. Neil was the one exception, on his better days, at least. 

The sound of a door opening behind Andrew made him turn around to see who might have joined him. When it happened to be his boyfriend carrying two steaming mugs of what revealed itself to be hot cocoa as he moved forward, Andrew might have been a sliver relieved. It became apparent to him though that the idiot was lucky he hadn't spilled the contents on his way up with the way he carried himself, or with how much they were filled. Still, Andrew could not help but find the gesture endearing. 

"Thought you could use a warm drink."

Andrew didn't bother to respond. Instead, he reached out and grasped the warm mug between his two pale hands. Within seconds, his hands were warmed, and his mind felt the slightest bit more at ease.

Though they were not the most outlandish couple, the two had their moments. Andrew secretly lived for each and every one of them. 

Never in his life did he think that Neil would be a part of his orbit after that first Exy season.Then, he was proven wrong. Now there they were, up on a rooftop, drinking hot cocoa in silence, on their first Christmas Eve together.

In mere days, the two would be travelling again. Exy had consumed a large portion of their lives. Neil took no issue with that, of course, being the junkie that he was. Andrew, well, it was something to do that sucked less than what he might have thought up on his own, so he continued. For now, Andrew was grateful for the brief moment in time where it was just he and Neil, not surrounded by others. 

Nursing the warm drink that he had been given, Andrew appreciated his life and place in the world just a bit more. He, of course, was not the sentimental sort. This did not stop him of course from recognizing the obvious, which is that when he met Neil, he had struck gold. His pipe dream had morphed into reality, and that was a miracle, if ever there was one. Would he have ever said this out loud though? The answer, of course, was a resounding no. 

Soon, the beverage that had been brought out for him has disappeared. Setting down his mug on the ledge before him, Andrew glanced over and found that Neil has placed his in front of him in a similar fashion. Now, his eyes were on Andrew- they roved over him, as Neil observed the man before him. 

Neil’s gaze finally dropped as his hand slipped into his pocket and he procured an object that had a small red bow on it. Without preamble, Andrew reached forward and grasped it. Once he had it in front of him properly, he recognized it on the spot for what it was; a knife sharpener. Turning it over in his hand, he found his name engraved on the small black device.

Looking up, he found Neil still gauging his reaction.

“I know it’s Christmas Eve, but I figured I’d give it to you now.”

Andrew cursed his idiot boyfriend’s timing.

“I didn’t buy you anything.”

That was as close to the truth as Andrew could get without spoiling what he had done. Neil of course did not know this, which was what Andrew had bet on when he had forced the words out of his mouth. 

He watched as Neil absorbed the words and then shrugged.

Gifts had not been a customary part of Neil’s childhood, so the absence of them would not surprise him as much as receiving one. Andrew was aware.

In years leading up to then, purchasing Neil clothes had become Andrew’s customary form of gift giving to him. Even as they stood there though, a bag of clothes did not sit under the small fiber optic plastic evergreen tree that they had purchased a few weeks ago together. The reason was a secret. At least Andrew planned to make sure it would be until the morning. 

“Cool. Hope you like yours.”

“Thanks, junkie.”

Andrew dropped his right hand from where it had been in his pocket, and reached over to consciously slip it into Neil’s left hand. The hold was not tight, but it was firm. He was not in the habit of comforting Neil, nor did he encourage frail emotions. However, not even he could deny that in that moment he felt compelled to reach out and entangle their fingers for no other reason than he wanted a physical connection between them.

Standing there, hands intertwined, the two remained for a minute or so after. Then, the cold became too much, and both men retreated inside for warmth. 

* * *

The next morning, Christmas Day, found Andrew ushering each of Neil’s original Fox team into their small apartment. Neil, from the sounds of it as they all entered silently, had made use of his boyfriend’s absence, and elected to take a shower.

By some stroke of luck, not a single soul made a noise as they all waited in the living room for Neil to appear before them.

A few minutes later, the aforementioned man did just that, stumbling out fully clothed in Fox sweats and a hoodie. At the sight of the large group, he halted in his tracks. He scanned each smiling face, and after he immediately popped off with, “No fucking way. How in the hell-”

Then Neil turned to Andrew, who was basking in the reaction that he had gotten from Neil.

"You always have been the best gift giver. Thank you."

Then the Foxes, with Wymack and Betsy in tow, surged forward and surrounded Neil.

Andrew was certain that Neil understood now.

  
  



End file.
